Scammers.............

[ETipp]

A few days ago I placed an order with Track of The Wolf. Decided to check on it this morning so I logged onto my email account. Tracking information they provided states the package is not far away and expected delivery tomorrow. The very next two emails were from some scammers stating there was an error on my order and they under-charged me. They were requesting I send $6.34 to them, just click onto the link. They are dumb enough to contend they are from UPS. Do those pinheads actually believe that UPS would be contacting me for an error TOTW made?

My God, scammers are everywhere and have been on the increase lately, at least with me. I was hoping they would stay away from our beloved muzzleloading sport but as we have seen recently with others that has been posted on here, that is not the case.

Also, my phone has been lighting up lately with increased scammers. Received two calls yesterday, one even leaving a voice mail. It has gotten to the point were we cannot trust anyone we do not know. Between shipping war stories on muzzleloaders and scammers, this limits us traditional folks even more.

I feel bad for the elderly that are easy prey for such predators.

Watch yourselves, folks.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

You may receive a text or an email telling you your $999.65 order has been processed and is being shipped today. For some reason they seem to think an odd price just under $1000 appears legit. They then add to cancel the order, to call them. HOW MANY stores send a conformation text/email, without actually mentioning the item other than model number, and then add info to cancel? Retailers want your money. Anyway they want you to call, and then they will tell you they need your bank account number to know which order to cancel (they JUST sent you a message ; they should know who you are in THEIR system). When you give up your bank number they suck away the money in seconds.

Sometimes you get notified that your card is being charged.... I laugh since I have only ONE obscure card and they never claim it's that one.

You will also see folks notified that they have a warrant for unpaid traffic or parking or some violation, and they need to contact an LEO to resolve the matter (it's a police impersonator) Of course you can pay the fines and avoid arrest, what is your bank number and etc?

Elderly folks get messages that their Social Security Account has been locked, so call the provided number to get it unlocked (and they will tell you to give up your personal information to "confirm" that you are you)

Another elderly scam is the person gets a phone call and hears "Hi [grandma or grandpa] guess who this is?'' If the person is a grandparent of a teenager, they will say something like, 'Is this [fill in name] ?" Whereupon they will hear, "Yes it is. Hey I'm on a trip to New York, and all my stuff got stolen including my wallet. Can you send me some money? Here is the police detective working on my case" and the voice changes to a second person claiming to be Law Enforcement, and several thousand dollars are needed. Sure sometimes they get folks that don't have grandkids, and sometimes they get folks with only young grandkids, and SOMETIMES they get my mom, who says "Is this Floyd (if it's a male voice) or "Flora" (if it's a female voice), and then listens to the BS only to then say, "WOW I don't have a grandchild named Floyd, so bye" and hangs up the phone.

LD

 

[flatcreek]

Technology has allowed the dirtbags of the world to do this, and there are alot of them. When you have that much contact with dirtbags, it gives a poor opinion of society in general and that's not good for society. I sometimes have to remind myself that there are a lot of good people out there and a lot of them are here.

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

I shake my head at the ones who fall for the phone call saying you missed jury duty, court, or you have an outstanding warrant.

And of course, you can take care of this right now by paying the fine with gift cards.... Sad, but people fall for it.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

My favorite is the e-mail I have gotten several times that I have won a 4 wheeler from Lowes. I just need to pay $29.95 in postage and they will ship it to me by USPS and guarantee delivery in 5 days.

 

[Big Tom 52]

Every time I order something, usually from Amazon, I get the emails saying there was a problem with my shipping address and my package will be held in the warehouse until I send the correct mailing information. I end up getting my package on time as usual. The best phone call I received was from a guy claiming to be a sergeant in the fraud division of the IRS telling me I owed $2500.00 and if I didn't pay, I would be arrested and jailed but if I gave him my bank account info, he could clear my account as paid. I told him I would have to contact the IRS first and his reply was they can't help you. I told him the number he contacted me with was my place of employment and everything he was saying was be recorded. there was silence for a few seconds and the phone went dead. My mother in law gets the phone calls saying it her granddaughter and she's been in a fender bender and needs bail money. She just tells them, Call your dad and hangs up. Her granddaughter lives in New Zealand!!

 

[Black_Feather]

I’ve been getting ones lately stating I won the lottery and others claiming my magazine subscription is on the way and that I just need to pay for it. Some of these scammers like above have seem to have gotten really sophisticated while others seem to have only gotten worse.

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

I also find it interesting that almost all of the so-called IRS or law enforcement agency employees who call on the phone demanding fine payments have an Eastern Europe, Indian or Pakistani accent....

 

[Sam squanch]

I just talk to them in a breathless, sexy tone with suggestive motives. They have left me alone.

 

[sheriff john]

One reason I finally retired was my loss of empathy for victims of obvious fraud. Greedy people were the easiest to hook. One guy sent 5 grand to England for a Ford tractor. At the time, foreign lottery winners were common as well as the Nigerian government official. Anyway, after 40+ years, I finally got my fill of having to tell people bad news.

 

[French Colonial]

I like the emails from an address that has our CEO's name but the address is not familiar. Email says he is busy so can I get him $200.00 in gift cards so he can give them out. I like to play with them for awhile with stupid questions and after they start getting frustrated I tell them that I can see you (the CEO) through your office door and do not understand why you can not get them yourself since your not busy.

After they quit responding I always send one more asking if anyone actually falls for this stuff.

 

[NotDanielBoone]

You guys are focused on the wrong thing. The scammers are in Washington and to a lesser degree your state house. They have both hands in your pocket and you are not paying attention.

 

[maillemaker]

It has really gotten to the point that you cannot trust any incoming communication, period. If you did not initiate the communication, and call a number you know is correct, you must assume you are talking to a scammer.

With the rise of AI-generated video and voice, you simply cannot tell who you are talking to.

Check this out:

 

[ZUG]

A few days ago I placed an order with Track of The Wolf. Decided to check on it this morning so I logged onto my email account. Tracking information they provided states the package is not far away and expected delivery tomorrow. The very next two emails were from some scammers stating there was an error on my order and they under-charged me. They were requesting I send $6.34 to them, just click onto the link. They are dumb enough to contend they are from UPS. Do those pinheads actually believe that UPS would be contacting me for an error TOTW made?

My God, scammers are everywhere and have been on the increase lately, at least with me. I was hoping they would stay away from our beloved muzzleloading sport but as we have seen recently with others that has been posted on here, that is not the case.

Also, my phone has been lighting up lately with increased scammers. Received two calls yesterday, one even leaving a voice mail. It has gotten to the point were we cannot trust anyone we do not know. Between shipping war stories on muzzleloaders and scammers, this limits us traditional folks even more.

I feel bad for the elderly that are easy prey for such predators.

Watch yourselves, folks.

I got the same message the other day when I ordered some parts from "Muzzle-Loaders.com". I knew there was something fishy so I deleted the message. In about two hours I got another message from the jerks saying now the price was $10.xx - I then blocked the jerks -- . My order was delivered two days later with no issues. If it don't sound right - it's not!

 

[ZUG]

The bad guys are out there and they want YOUR money! Very intelligent people have lost their life savings to them and still do everyday. Most people are looking for easy money and that is what the scammers are betting on. I may be cynical but I say to myself - NO ONE IS GOING TO GIVE FREE STUFF FOR NOTHING IN RETURN!
I have call blocking on my phone and if you are not on my approved list your call will not go through and I don't care who you are!

 

[ZUG]

It has really gotten to the point that you cannot trust any incoming communication, period. If you did not initiate the communication, and call a number you know is correct, you must assume you are talking to a scammer.

With the rise of AI-generated video and voice, you simply cannot tell who you are talking to.

Check this out:

The other day my local PBS station ran a program on scammers and AI - it was VERY INTERESTING. There should be more programs like this on ALL channels to get the word out to more people.

 

[BoomStick]

AI, online and all types digital scams are in the rise.
There's also the old-fashioned ones as well. A guy mailed me a "bank check" for $1100 for a $180 item. Check looks pretty good, but a total scam. I'm sure he will soon message me to say he made a mistake and if I could refund him the difference when I ship the item.
Unfortunately, your own bank might accept the fake check but you're on the hook when it bounces. I've heard if you take it to the issuing bank to cash it -and they know or suspect it is fake, they might refuse it, or will tell you to simply avoid the hassle and deposit it into your account (that way it's not their responsibility when it bounces) or they may call the authorities and you might be charged with attempting to pass a forged check.
Scumbags...both the scammers and the banks that don't support or protect customers.

 

[maillemaker]

Hey guys: If you are getting a scam email about something you legitimately just ordered - either you or the vendor has a security leak somewhere. Someone's account is compromised if they know the details of what you are buying.

 

[ZUG]

You are totally correct - in my case it is the vendor ---.

 

[flatcreek]

Many years ago when we had a landline in the house, real people would call with scams before AI and such. Many times when they called they would ask for Linda (my wife). I would answer the phone with my manly man voice and say " this is Linda" then I would make them talk to me. I guess this scam thing isn't a new thing it's just really got out of control with technology.
Had a scam call while I was typing this.